Ranking the Five Most Important Players for Barcelona this Season

With the start of La Liga looming near, Barcelona will look to fight off the competition and win a third straight league title. They’ll also look to continue their domestic dominance by clinching a third straight Copa del Rey, In Europe, the mission is simple; reclaim the lost trophy. The players will be hungry to reclaim Europe’s biggest trophy and a bitter loss in last season’s quarterfinals.

If Barcelona want to compete on all three fronts, then they’re going to need their most essential players at their absolute best. But what players are the most essential? Let’s take a look at the 5 most important players for FC Barcelona this season.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – AUGUST 17: The F.C.Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi, celebrating his goal, during the F.C.Barcelona vs Sevilla F.C., Spanish Super Cup match, at Nou Camp, on August 17, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Joan Cros Garcia/Corbis via Getty Images)’n /

1) Lionel Messi

It really can’t be more obvious. Of course the best player in the world will be the most important player on your team. With Messi on the pitch, Barcelona transform into the most dangerous team in the world. The way he can influence a game is breathtaking and awe-inspiring. We see him often dropping into the midfield to create chances and take advantage of his wonderful passing ability. Doing that usually gets him a few assists and ensures a Barcelona win. But he if he isn’t generating chances for others, it’s because he’s finishing them himself. On any given day, Messi can bag a hat-trick and make it look so elegant. The impact he can have any a game is impeccable and second to none.

Gerard Pique during the match corresponding to the Joan Gamper Trophy, played at the Camp Nou stadiium, on august 10, 2016. (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /

3) Gerard Piqué

When in form, Piqué is arguably the best defender in the world. His passing skills, aerial ability, and last ditch tackling makes him stand out amongst the Barça players. Whenever Piqué isn’t on the field, Barcelona just don’t have that “swagger” that makes them who they are. We saw in the fsecond leg of the Spanish Super Cup what kind of nerves can occur in the backline when Piqué isn’t there. There were shaky passes and the positioning of the defensive line wasn’t what it should have been. While it improved as the game went on, you don’t want to have those problems every single match.

Having Piqué gives Barcelona a sense of confidence and assurance. Not only is having Pique huge psychologically, he also brings along instant impact. He’s exquisite when it comes to defending set pieces, often taking on a free roam position. And his defending skills speak for themselves.

Neymar Jr. during the match between FC Barcelona and RCDE, corresponding to the week 37 of the spanish league, played at the Camp Nou, on may 08, 2016. (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /

4) Neymar

When Messi went down to injury last season, Neymar was the one player who showed he can (somewhat) replace the impact the Argentine has. We saw Neymar reach a level every week that made our jaws drop. He was showing the world that he is truly one of the best players out there. Barcelona has looked pretty well this preseason without Neymar; no denying that. But let’s be real here. There’s a huge difference between playing Neymar and playing Arda Turan. The Brazilian completes the fearsome MSN trio, the best set of attackers in world football. Having him on the pitch creates so much space because the defense doesn’t know which of the front three to mark. Neymar is the kind of player who can win you a game at any moment. Having 3 players like that is a pretty amazing thing.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – AUGUST 10: Sergio Busquets (R) of FC Barcelona and Ricardo Gabriel Alvarez of UC Sampdoria fight for the ball during the Joan Gamper trophy match between FC Barcelona and UC Sampdoria at Camp Nou on August 10, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) /

5) Sergio Busquets

“You watch the game, you don’t see Busquets. You watch Busquets, you see the whole game.” Vicente Del Bosque was pretty spot on with this quote. Busquets has always been a plyer who’s never gotten the appreciation he deserves. Perhaps due to the big names at Barcelona, Busquets usually is lost in the spotlight. But he’s never lost in the game.

Busquets is the “conductor” so to say of Barcelona. The tempo and pace of the game is run through him. He’s responsible for making sure Barcelona keep possession but also do something with that possession. Along with his responsibility on that end, he also needs to break up the opposition’s attack. He sits in front of the back four and offers last ditch protection. Often times, teams try to stop Barcelona by trying to stop Busquets. If they succeed, Barcelona are overrun in the midfield and get burned by the counter attack. It’s imperative that Busquets keeps everything running smoothly in the midfield.